During an interview, Ahmed Saleh shares his artistic journey that has been shaped by his passion for music, the influence of visual art, and his unwavering commitment to the transformative power of the creative process. Through his collaborations with Shaymaa Shoukry, a Cairo-based dancer and choreographer, Saleh has found a kindred spirit who shares his artistic values and continually pushes him to explore new frontiers of expression. Their most recent collaboration, Womb, stands as a testament to their artistic chemistry and serves as an invitation for the audience to engage actively in the creation of an immersive and transcendent experience at Tuning In, initiated and produced by Dancing on the Edge
Ahmed Saleh recounts how his passion for music began as a child when his mother gifted him a keyboard with 99 sounds. Growing up in Alexandria, he did not receive formal music education but instead pursued visual arts in college, which eventually led him to a career in that field.
Although Saleh initially learned classical guitar, he abandoned it because he did not want to limit himself to becoming a classical guitarist. He was drawn to the possibilities offered by electronic programming, not necessarily because he preferred electronic sounds, but because programming opened up avenues for creation, composition, and exploring advanced concepts in music theory.
While Saleh transitioned from visual art to music, he acknowledged that visual art continued to be a significant influence on his work as a music composer. He experienced a creative block and fell into a state of depression when he struggled to move forward with his compositions. To overcome this obstacle, he started using sound to explore the same concepts he previously employed in his visual art phase. Drawing on his background in painting, video art, and digital art, Saleh began treating sound as a medium to create spatial effects, similar to the use of colors on a canvas. This approach allowed his compositions to come together, and he credited a workshop with two renowned sound designers for inspiring him to pursue sound art. The lessons he learned from them extended beyond music and encompassed techniques for placing listeners in different sonic environments.
Saleh emphasized the enduring impact of his background in visual art on his current work, particularly when collaborating on projects involving dance, theatre, or movies. He highlighted the power of sound, an invisible medium that creates dynamic moods and emotions, enabling endless possibilities for visual imagination. Saleh regarded sound as a constantly changing, multidimensional entity, each encounter revealing a new layer and offering a unique experience. He emphasized the dynamic nature of how we perceive sound.
At the outset of his career, Saleh embraced various collaborative opportunities, which played a pivotal role in discovering and understanding his artistic identity. As he matured as an artist, he realized that certain artistic relationships lacked the necessary connection, which ultimately affected the quality of the work produced. Consequently, Saleh now values the importance of the artistic process and selectively chooses collaborators who share this mindset.
This discerning approach led Saleh to establish a deep artistic bond with Shaymaa Shoukry, who shares his foundational values. Apart from their shared cultural and visual arts background, it was their mutual enjoyment and appreciation of the transformative potential of the creative process that solidified their connection. Saleh finds working with Shoukry to be incredibly inspiring, as she constantly introduces new ideas that pushes him to explore novel modes of expression. Their artistic chemistry has resulted in numerous successful collaborations, but Saleh particularly highlights their latest work, Womb, as a “gift” of their artistic synergy. Originating from a discussion, the project developed organically as they traversed Greece and Switzerland, incorporating the essence of each location into the tapestry of movement and sound. Shoukry contributed music ideas while Saleh proposed movement concepts, and together they worked harmoniously as if they were a single entity. Saleh describes their collaboration as a “beautiful ground to stand on.”
Saleh approached Womb as a narrative of creation, shaping its sounds to evoke raw and organic elements like water. He envisioned himself within a container, drawing inspiration from his visits to archaeological sites in Greece that imbued the container with layers of history and allowed for a negotiation of different time periods. However, Saleh aimed to create a space that transcended conventional notions of time, a world where time held no dominion. He desired the freedom to emerge from the container and explore diverse realms.
This concept of transcending temporality is reflected in Saleh’s composition for Womb. He skillfully combines African beats with layered and overlapping rhythms in different time signatures. The result is a disorienting and almost uncomfortable experience for the listeners, as each beat seems to “kick the other out”. However, Saleh introduces a layer of vocals that brings the composition back to its organic roots, reminding the audience of the essence of humanity and the beginning of creation—the womb.
Initially created for the theater as a solo performance by Shoukry, Womb has been in the process of undergoing a transformation into an open collaboration. Tuning In, an initiative by Dancing on the Edge, partnered with Shoukry and Saleh, reshapes the space into a collective one. This shift from a controlled theater environment to an open public space dismantles boundaries and invites new and unexpected elements to emerge during the creative process. Saleh enthuses about the transformative power of this shift, particularly in terms of sound. In their first phase of exploration with a public audience in Amsterdam, involving only a small group of people, he was thrilled by the organicity of the piece. By encouraging people to use their voices alongside recorded sounds, the boundaries between human and non-human sounds blur. The container becomes richer, and individuals feel compelled to open up and share their voices. The energy of the collective intensifies, amplified by the exchange of energies among the participants.
Saleh credits Dancing on the Edge for providing him with this exceptional experience. As he anticipates the upcoming Tuning In phase, he looks forward to enriching the container even further. While he is mostly accustomed to sharing his work with others, this opportunity to engage the audience as active participants in the creative process brings forth a rich exchange of energy. Initially apprehensive about how this uncontrolled collaboration would unfold, Saleh has been genuinely inspired by the process. He passionately asserts that Tuning In encompasses the essence of life itself, the core of creation, and serves as a unifying force that transcends barriers of sex, gender, religion, race, class, and more. It offers a space for every-body to come together and share in this profound sentiment.
We invite you to join in this collaborative, process-lead open-participation movement and sound project that will turn into a collective performance in a public space on the
17th of June 2023 at Krugerplein, Amsterdam.
Workshops will take place from 7 June to 16 June, 2023 in various locations.
All bodies and abilities are welcome.
No previous experience is necessary.
Workshops and performance are free.
Language no problem.
